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Shhhhhh! listen closely to your employees, and you may hear the
pulse of your business beating loudly in your ears. A new system
similar in theory to the pulse of the human body has found its way
into the business world, identifying unusual rhythms and healthy
signs in today's companies.

The system is used mostly by companies that are experiencing
fast growth or major changes and are concerned about the impact on
their employees, says Theresa Welbourne, CEO of Valour Inc., the
Ithaca, New York, company offering the service. Every Friday,
companies' employees are asked one question via e-mail
that's devised to gauge the pace at which people are working,
their efficiency rate and their job satisfaction level. The
confidential responses are used to obtain a "pulse" for
the business. A rating in the "at rest zone" (0.5-2.4),
for instance, means employees are bored with their jobs and
aren't performing well. Companies in the "aerobic
zone" (2.5-7.5) have workers who feel busy yet efficient,
while an appearance in the "anaerobic zone" (7.6-10)
means employees are working too hard and may soon reach the burnout
stage.